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Sharp majors on 'Quattron' TV technology, but no 3D models yet

9th March 2010

It's been a busy evening, with news ed Joe Cox over at Stamford Bridge where Samsung is unveiling its 2010 UK model range, while I've been up at the top of Centre Point in London admiring the view of the capital and getting the lowdown on Sharp's new Aquos 'Quattron' range.

Compared to the mammoth ranges recently unveiled by Sony, Panasonic, Samsung et al, Sharp has kept things fairly simple with three series and a single flagship model. You'll find no 3D TVs here, as Sharp remains more cautious about the 3D TV revolution than most of its rivals.

New Aquos Quattron sets are just 39mm deep

That's not to say the company won't make 3D tellies. It will, with a launch planned for IFA in Berlin in late August. But it's happy to watch and wait to see how the market develops between now and then. Sounds eminently sensible to me.

It's backing Freeview HD too, with the introduction of two Freeview HD set-top boxes in April, one a simple receiver, the other a 320GB PVR (personal video recorder). They'll cost £179 and £299 respectively.

Perhaps more surprising was the complete lack of any new Blu-ray players or Blu-ray home cinema in a box systems, both of which we saw at CES back in January.

Sharp UK managing director Paul Molyneux says a 3D Blu-ray player is "under consideration", but not until the second half of this year.

For now, the focus is entirely on Sharp's new Aquos Quattron TVs, with a £5m ad campaign kicking off in May. So here's the line-up in full: